00:07March 12, 2026, for a 12-year-old girl in Jaipur, it was supposed to be an ordinary evening in
00:15the
00:15park. A few moments on a swing, laughter, playtime, childhood. But within seconds,
00:23the swing snapped. The iron structure came crashing down on her. Since that day,
00:29the child has undergone four major surgeries. Her playground has now been replaced by hospital
00:34corridors, medicines and pain. And perhaps the most disturbing question remains unanswered.
00:45Could this tragedy have been prevented? But Jaipur's swing tragedy is not an isolated case.
00:59In July 2021, a 10-year-old child died after coming in contact with exposed electric wires
01:05inside a park in Jaipur's Mansarovar area. And in May this year, merely three days after inauguration,
01:12a swing installed in a newly constructed park in Baran district, uprooted from the ground
01:17while children were using it. Across Rajasthan, parks meant for children are turning into danger zones.
01:31ETV Bharat's reality check across Rajasthan, found broken swings, rusted iron structures, damaged
01:38walking tracks, poor lighting, sanitation failures and serious security concerns inside parks where
01:45hundreds of children arrive every day. At Jaipur's Pondrik Udyan, one of the largest public parks in the area,
01:53serving nearly one lakh residents, the condition is alarming. Swings hang unevenly, iron edges remain exposed,
02:03several structures appear unstable. Parents fear children could get injured at any moment.
02:12Hundreds of people visit this park every morning and evening, but there are not enough safe facilities for children.
02:21Caretakers themselves admit the situation has worsened. Residents allege anti-social elements
02:26regularly gather inside the park. Fear of theft and harassment keeps many visitors away after sunset.
02:35The same story repeats itself in Ajmer. Inside Lal Bahadur Shastri Park, play equipment visibly shakes
02:42even with slight force. Open gym machines have become dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance.
02:50Green spaces are disappearing. Residents allege anti-social elements occupy parts of the park during the day and intimidate the
02:59children.
03:02The park was built around 25 years ago, but due to negligence of the municipal corporation, it has been left
03:09to rot.
03:09People come here for walks every morning and evening. Children come to play. Swings are installed here,
03:16but nobody responsible comes to inspect them or even check if the basic facilities are existent.
03:24Ajmer Municipal Corporation, however, claims regular monitoring is being carried out across parks under its jurisdiction.
03:33In Kota's Nehru Park too, families expecting a peaceful public space are greeted by damaged swings, broken gym equipment and
03:42poor sanitation.
03:43Visitors allege garbage remains dumped inside the park, toilets are unhygienic and drinking water facilities are inadequate.
03:54The park is in a deplorable condition. The swings are broken. Children run the risk of falling and getting injured
04:01any time.
04:02Rusted iron is visible everywhere, but nobody pays attention.
04:08Kota Development Authority says repair and restoration work is underway across the city's parks.
04:15This initiative encompasses the rectification of various facilities, ranging from swings to electricity, water supply, restrooms and walking tracks,
04:25while work remains pending in 47 parks.
04:27Instructions have been issued to ensure that the facilities at Nehru Park are also restored promptly.
04:33Parks are not merely green patches inside concrete cities.
04:37They're essential spaces for children's physical fitness, emotional development and mental wellbeing.
04:43Yet across rapidly expanding cities, childhood itself appears to be shrinking between high-rise buildings,
04:50traffic corridors and vanishing open spaces.
04:55But the larger question still remains unanswered.
04:58Despite smart city projects, civic budgets and repeated promises,
05:03why are parks still unsafe?
05:06If children cannot safely use a swing inside a park, can a city truly call itself developed?
05:13The last playground is not just a campaign about broken parks.
05:18It is a nationwide reality check into disappearing childhoods.
05:22And Rajasthan is only the beginning.
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